Selling in the winter - no problem!
January 2nd, 2009As I’ve mentioned a number of times in this forum, I LOVE to sell homes in the winter months. Many realtors don’t touch listings right now because they either take the time off or they simply don’t want to market in the snow and cold when homes don’t look their best.
Ahhhh, that’s not the way to look at. I call this reluctant selling attitude a case of “bellying up to the Excuse Bar.”
I love listing homes now because a seller can truly be more competitive and is likely to get a better price for the home. Sure, there are fewer homes on the market (less inventory) and there are fewer buyers looking. But, I’ve found that the majority of buyers this time of year are far more serious about buying. They usually NEED to buy when they’re looking in the winter, and don’t spend a lot of timing looking. They find a home and buy it. So, if you decide to get on the market before spring when thousands of other seller’s will increase the inventory and the buyer’s pool will grow accordingly, here are a few tips to give yourself a better chance at being successful.
Find an enthusiastic real estate agent: Make sure you’ve hired an agent who is ready, willing and able to sell your home this time of year. Don’t settle for one that hates the snow and cold and has no intention of truly marketing your home. Also, insist that your agent update the exterior photos of your home often. If the initial exterior pictures include snow on the ground, make sure new pictures are taken when it melts. Come on how lazy can you be! And, make sure he/she replaces pictures everyplace the home is marketed - flyers, brochures, websites and the MLS. What about those beautiful summer pictures of your yard and landscaping? Hopefully you have some. Put them together in a nice album and leave it in the house so people can see how wonderful the home looks when it warms up and everything blooms. One caution here - make a copy of the pictures in case someone helps themselves to the originals.
Take down Santa and Rudolph: If you haven’t done it already, get off the couch (the Broncos are out of it anyhow) and take those lights and decorations off the house - inside and out. You risk offending a potential buyer anyhow with holiday decorations. They may not share your views and how you choose to celebrate this time of year. Why take the chance of offending someone who otherwise might buy your home.
Show off your “green” home if you have one: In other words if your home is energy efficient, make note of it for showings and the marketing material. If your water, electric and gas bills are low due to efficient appliances and systems in the home consider leaving copies of your monthly bills out for potential buyers to view. If your pipes are wrapped or there are other visual clues about the homes efficiency have your realtor put “feature cards” up in the home to remind people of the “green” atrributes. Again, a caution here - black out anything on the bill you don’t want known like your SSN or account numbers.
Winter maintenance updates: Be careful about things like icicles hanging around the house especially from the roof or gutters. And, inspect your weather stripping to make sure doors and windows aren’t letting in cold air that buyers might be able to feel when they’re in the home. Keep your sidewalks, driveways, decks and porches clear of snow and ice. You don’t want anyone slipping or hurting themselves. That could be a real legal nightmare. Also, keep an eye open for any downed or broken trees or branches.
Common sense is the rule with just about all these tips. I hope you find them useful.